The present invention relates to an improved resealable closure for use in conjunction with a container, preferably a container with an integral, collapsible pouring spout, and to a container employing such improved resealable closure.
Previous development of the container art, at least insofar as containers for the packaging of various and sundry liquids, has progressed in the direction of providing containers with self-opening means. Further, certain of these containers are adapted with pouring spouts that are affixed to the container in some fashion to facilitate the dispensing of the contents from the container. Moreover, containers are now known with a combined opening means and pouring spout, whereby upon lifting or disengaging the opening means from the top of the container, a pouring spout secured to the underside thereof or located therebeneath is withdrawn from a nested position within the container. Various opening means have been taught including screw caps, integral cover caps which must be cut or torn away from the spout and the like.
Moreover, many of these caps or closures are provided with unitary pull tabs or bails for use in withdrawing the spout from within the body of the container. Likewise, certain of the closures have the capability of reclosing only or of resealing the container after first being removed or opened.
Containers such as mentioned above are intended for use in storing and dispensing of oil, hazardous chemicals, fuels, and other household and industrial compositions. As such, an independent opener and/or spout is no longer required for use with the type of containers previously described. Moreover, while certainly these prior art containers are an advance in the art, further improvement is still possible. For example, once a container containing a fluid is closed, with a threaded opening means, inadvertent unscrewing of the cap from the spout can cause a container to leak.
All-in-all, with a container having a built-in or integral pouring spout, many advantages are present. With such a container, however, it is important that same be capable of convenient withdrawal of the spout, dispensing of the contents and resealing of the container if less than the full contents are to be dispensed. The present invention affords such a construction.
The present invention has thus further improved the container art by providing a container having a collapsible pouring spout that nests within the container and may be withdrawn from within the container to a pouring position, and with a resealing closure that cannot be removed when the closure is in the closed position. The closure of the present invention has integral therewith a friction or otherwise engaging hinged cap, whereby if only a portion of the contents are needed and can be dispensed without removal of the closure, the pouring spout can be accessed for dispensing and thereafter can be tightly reclosed or resealed and the contents saved for future use. In fact, the reclosable cover of the present invention even permits recollapse of the pouring spout to its original nested position. Furthermore, teeth or other stop means disposed on the spout engage a pawl or other means disposed on a portion of the cap when the hinged cap is closed, and prevents undesired rotation of the cover relative to the spout thereby preventing the cover from inadvertently being removed from the spout.
Insofar as the present closure is concerned, in one embodiment, a vent opening may be defined in a top wall of same, to be closed when the cap is closed. When the cap is open, the closure remains in place and functions as a "squirt" closure. Likewise, when the cap is open, the closure can be unscrewed or otherwise removed from the spout, whereupon contents from the container may be poured from the spout.
Known prior art deemed relevant to the present invention includes the following listed U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,856,187; D-240,314; 4,027,811; 4,082,827; 4,066,190; 4,095,728; 4,139,129; 4,529,108; 4,576,565 and 4,619,797, none of which teaches or suggests the present invention. Also as to closures per se, prior art closures are known which are threadably attached to a container and include a dispensing opening in a top wall and a cap integrally hinged to the closure. When the cap is open, contents may be squirted or otherwise expelled through the dispensing opening. Again, such prior art does not teach or suggest the present invention.